in the 1980's, the medium format holga toy camera was introduced as a way to bring affordable photography to the masses in mainland china. the camera body is made entirely of plastic, with only a little metal spring to open and close the shutter. over twenty-five years later, this little guy is still going strong with few-- if any-- changes to the original design. people love it for its ease of use and often unpredictable and surrealistic, dreamlike images. i bought my lil holga about three weeks ago because, though i love the instant gratification of digital, i was craving something less perfect and more tactile-- something i adore about film. with digital, you pretty much know what you're getting when you take the photo. with holga, it's a surprise. little light leaks in the plastic camera body create flashes of pink or orange on your film... the focus is guesswork, and even the exposure-- or double exposure-- is almost as much skill as it is plain luck. i'm hoping to get a little better at interpreting the simple-yet-oh-so-complicated settings (of which there are six: sunny or cloudy, and close, sort of close, far, or super-far) but here are a few that i liked from my very first roll:
probably the thing i love most about my holga is how light-weight it is (it's made of cheapy plastic, after all!) and i've been carrying it with me everywhere. i always feel a little off when i don't have a camera on me at all times, like the moment i don't have my camera, there'll be the shot of a lifetime-- and now i can feel secure that i won't miss a great picture without breaking my back. i still have lots to learn about holga's little quirks and i'll be sure to post my latest attempts here, for all to see! :)
